Petra

Not everyone knows that on certain days of week there's a candle lit walk through the ancient city of Petra. The experience is serene as you walk in near darkness along the canyon, then reach the Treasury where you behold this ageless place in near silence, then listen to a lone instrument. It's completely different from a visit only hours earlier. Petra truly deserves its place in the Seven New Wonders of the World.

Forbidden City

I found photographing in Beijing to be a major challenge due to all of the pollution. While I normally look for beautiful skies, they were instead a very dull color that showed as white in photographs, no matter where I aimed. I therefore focused instead on the details, such as this archway in the Forbidden City. This also is a good technique when there are thousands of other tourists visiting at the same time.

Hong Kong Pool

What's going on in this shot. It's an optical illusion caused by photographing a building reflecting on itself. This was photographed from above on one of my last days in Hong Kong. The pool itself lies several floors below, and when I noticed the man swimming I carefully aligned him to one of the bands, then waited for the beginning of a lap to get the shot. Hong Kong is easily my favorite place for photographing modern buildings. There are simply so many of them, each different, that provide an endless set of opportunities.

Bibi-Khanym Mosque

The ceiling of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It was constructed by Timur, who led an army from Central Asia across the world, creating at the time the world's largest empire. In fact Uzbekistan is the crossroads of empires, where one can see relics from not only Timur, but also Alexander the Great and a number of sultans. It's littered with various fortresses and beautiful mosques, but due to it's location the country is practically unknown to Americans. Unlike Europe where the crowds jostle like a sea of fish, in Uzbekistan one can stroll practically alone through these magnificent monuments.

Archway in Samarkand

To this day our trip in Uzbekistan was the cheapest we've ever taken. Perhaps now prices have risen, but our per person cost for a nearly three week trip - complete with hotels and private driver - was less than what we've paid for a single night at other destinations. This shot is from Samarkand. Our hotel was only a short distance from this mosque, and given the complete safety there I had no problems taking a stroll at night and grabbing this shot. I was virtually alone, which certainly wouldn't be the case in most other places.

Khiva

The walls of Khiva, Uzbekistan. When you think of Aladdin, or Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, this is what they meant. The city is virtually a fairy tale, with its beautiful walls, brightly colored minarets, and many colorful mosques. The city was effectively ruled by a sultan until only a hundred years ago, and it's amazingly well preserved. Due to the difficulties of getting there, many tourists still don't make it here - and those who do often pay exorbitant sums from travel agencies. Luckily, my wife is from this area of the world and arranged a far cheaper passage.

Tajik Car

An old car in Khojand, Tajikistan. We were visiting relatives in an otherwise non-photogenic part of town when I noticed this car. I always enjoy photographing old rusted cars, but it's hard to find the perfect one. In the United States, these types of cars are almost always on private property, and their owners are often the kinds that react very poorly to trespassers. You generally won't find them on city streets, since they'll be cleaned up. However, in Tajikistan no one bothered to move this car, which most likely is beyond fix-upable condition.

Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa, which at the time of writing is still the world's tallest building. This scene almost certainly looks different now, since the buildings under construction are undoubtedly finished and more are certainly underway. Yet the Burj Khalifa still dominates those around it. The fountain in front is four times the size of the Bellagio's, and is even more impressive. I took this shot during a dramatic morning, since our hotel was literally right next to it. Though I had my widest tilt-shift lens, I still needed to pan up a bit due to the building's tremendous height. I've seen a number of the world's tallest buildings, and up close many don't look as dauntingly high. This one is the exception though. Pictures cannot do justice how tall this thing is.

Firenze Sunset

The sun sets over the rooftops of Firenze. There are some cities in the world that are fake and overdone. Visiting them is akin to a trip to Disneyland. Florence, or more aptly Firenze, is not one of them. While there are certainly hordes of tourists, many of the worst kind, I never felt was pressured while staying there. The trick is finding a relaxing place to stay, and our hotel had the most gorgeous rooftop bar to enjoy the sunsets. I would go back here in a heartbeat.

Florence Duomo

The Florence Duomo, one of the most famous churches in the world. After a long flight to Florence/Firenze, I was severely jet lagged on the first morning. I awoke at 2 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. Since our hotel had a gorgeous rooftop patio that they kept unlocked for guests, I grabbed my tripod and hung out there for some time. This is the view we had of the Duomo. It was a magical experience, just sitting there and listening to the city wake - not much differently than it has for hundreds of years. 365 Project #289

Florence Duomo

The doorway of the Duomo in Firenze, Italy. I often like to lie down and photograph things looking straight up, and in the very early hours of the morning no one said anything while I lay a few feet from this magnificent door and grabbed this photo. I wonder now how many hours or years the artisans had to put in to finish something this magnificent. Created in those days to impress and awe, they do so even more now.

Florence Duomo

The Florence/Firenze Duomo in the very early hours of the morning. On vacations I often enjoy photographing at very early times, since even in the most tourist frenzy place the streets are usually empty. Very few photographers get up as early as I do, and in fact I most often see them when I'm finished. On this particular morning the streets were empty and the lights were still on. I used an architectural lens to get this shot, which makes the perspective of the church a bit different. Florence, and Tuscany in general, was one of my favorite trips.

Riomaggiore

The view of Riomaggiore. Italy is one of the most photographed countries on Earth, and Cinque Terre is one of the most picturesque areas of Italy. Nevertheless, I never felt strained by hordes of photographers while there. Of the five towns of Cinque Terre (which literally means "five towns") I found Riomaggiore the most picturesque. Sure, Vernazza had a stunning location, but I just loved the colors and stacked buildings of Riomaggiore. The interesting thing is the town doesn't even need to try to be beautiful - it just is. Those boats at the bottom are actually used - and aren't there entirely for decoration. The town also had a water balloon war while we were there, which our kids of course found completely fascinating.

Sienna

Every photographer has that photo that really got them on the map. This one is mine. My wife was none too happy when I lay down in what was being used as a horse stable to get this shot. However, when I finished processing it she forgave me. This is now my most printed photo, and has been everywhere from the Bing homepage, to hanging in our local hospital, to being prominently displayed in several homes. The funny thing is it wasn't the shot I initially wanted to take. My original idea was to use a fisheye, and once I took that shot I wondered how it would look rectilinear - so I took that too. Once I took it, I knew that was the way to go. 365 Project #297

Sunset in Tuscany

The sun sets over a farm house in Tuscany. I'm not sure if I've ever been in a place so picturesque, where there are vastly different but all amazing viewpoints from every angle. Every morning and afternoon I was occupied with getting the perfect shot among so many. This was shot from one of the small towns in Tuscany, where we spent several nights. In retrospect, we should have spent more, since the countryside was absolutely stunning. I've become a much better photographer now, but my images from this time still impress me.

San Gimignano Skyline

Six years ago I spent several nights in the small town of San Gimignano and desperately wanted a good shot of the city skyline. Finally, in what I considered then a stroke of genius that now causes me to roll my eyes, I asked someone where to shoot. I was a bit worried to walk out of town because if the shot didn't work out I'd have nothing for the morning, but I wanted this shot badly enough to risk it. To my surprise, everything worked! I had the view I wanted. The sky was beautiful and the entire scene was mesmerizing. When I returned home, I post processed it and was disappointed. It just wasn't there. In what became a yearly tradition I reprocessed this shot with the hope of finally achieving what I wanted. My styles changed over the years, but the shot continued to suck. This year, as part of my new portfolio, I reprocessed it again and am excited to finally have something I like. Had I a time machine, I'd go back and slap myself because my photography habits were frustrating. For a scene like this I took only two shots! And to top it off I only bracketed three frames and one was badly overexposed. Still, I'm proud to finally be able to include this in my portfolio!

Montepulciano Sunset

This shot was taken from the beautiful Tuscan town of Montepulciano. While there were an uncountable number of possible compositions given the stunning area, I chose this juxtaposition of the rising sun and the church, nestled in the vineyards. The area around Montepulciano is of course famous for its Vino Nobile wines, and a stroll provides an excellent opportunity to chat with them and try the local wines.365 Project #302.

Kerry Park

Seattle from Kerry Park. While this location is most famous during sunset, where hundreds often come to see the city say good night, I've often found it more interesting at sunrise. The colors can be quite different then. This shot now hangs in multiple places around the area, and was a very successful morning. Unlike others, I only photograph at Kerry Park a few times a year, since the viewpoint has become rather overdone. Photo Project #882.

Vancouver Skyline

Downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park. While I find Vancouver to be one of the most picturesque downtowns in North America, I do find one decision quite puzzling. Though the Chevron Station must be one of the most unique in the world, it makes photographing the downtown quite difficult. Here I placed it roughly in the middle and hoped it wouldn't distract too much. I certainly wonder why they couldn't place it just out of the downtown area, or at least got rid of its blaring sign. Vancouver shouldn't be an advertisement for them. Photo Project #1043.

Anacortes Refinery

Many times I wind up photographing something completely different. Such was the case here. The original idea was to photograph the northern lights, which were predicted for that evening. I chose a park near Anacortes and waited patiently, but even from my camera there wasn't a single tingle of green. Finally resigned to the fact that there would be no lights that evening, we decided to search around the area for other sights. While doing so, I was drawn to this oil refinery across the river. Between the lights and the reflection, it really captivated me. Photo Project #1056.

The View Back

Many photographers get the shot of Seattle as the Bainbridge Island ferry moves away. While I was just about to do that, I thought back to where we'd left our car. I then went back down to the ramp and got this shot. Of course once people noticed me taking it they moved in to duplicate it. I'm still pretty happy with my version, and chose to convert it to black and white so the colors of the city matched that of the ramp.

UW Library

The Suzzallo library at the University of Washington. So many times I've shown this to people and they reacted - some day I'd love to travel and see places like that. The only problem, of course, is that the library's right in our backyard. Anyone is free to visit it. Though there are obviously some more magnificent libraries in Europe, this is one of the most beautiful in our country and must be a great place for students to relax while studying.

Vertigo

Because we have family there, we travel to New York City almost every year. We always stay in Manhattan when we go, since there's far more to do there and our relatives are spread out over the other buroughs and suburbs. When our kids were smaller, we stayed near the Natural History Museum, since Central Park also had a lot for them. Now we usually stay near Times Square. So when a new hotel opened that advertised a rooftop bar, we jumped on the offer. The rooftop bar was as advertised, and I leaned my camera over the edge to get this shot. The hotel later featured it on Instagram.

Salvador de Bahia

Bahia Bands tied onto a church in the city of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. These ribbons are a long tradition that symbolize faith and good luck. For this reason, every square millimeter possible on the local churches contains them. People also tie them around the wrist, and adorn backpacks, hats, and other things with them. While some believe they can grant miracles, I just love how they add color to this already colorful city. Of course, on this shot I couldn't resist the shot looking up.